They belong to different political camps, but longtime Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán says he is keen to meet Romania’s new President Nicusor Dan and discuss common areas of interest.
The Hungarian leader said he was positive that said conditions were ‘favorable’ for deepening bilateral relations in an interview on Saturday with Krónika, an online news portal.
He wants to meet Dan, who was elected president in May, to discuss issues within the European Union where he believes Romanian and Hungarian interests may coincide.
“In economic matters, in military matters, in the issue of war and peace, and I would like to see more clearly what the position of the President of Romania is in these matters.” Viktor Orban said in the interview.
Mr. Orban is seen as a Euro-skeptic and Russia-friendly while Mr. Dan is solidly pro-EU and supports Ukraine’s efforts to defend its country against the all-out Russian invasion which began more than three years ago.
Mr. Orbán gave the interview during a trip to Romania to attend the funeral of ethnic Hungarian lawyer and civil rights activist, Előd Kincses.
Romania’s 1.2 million ethnic community voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Dan, a 55-year-old pro-European centrist in the May 18 presidential runoff, rejecting the nationalist Euro-skeptic frontrunner who Orban initially appeared to support.
He was forced to back down after talking to leaders of Romania’s ethnic Hungarian party, the UDMR who feared the victory of a nationalist would curb their rights. Mr. Orban eventually advised ethnic Hungarians to vote for their own interests.
In an interview designed to set the stage for cooperation between the neighbors, despite political differences, Orban mentioned Budapest’s support for Romania joining the Schengen area, in what he called a historic achievement for Romania.
The Euro-skeptic leader added that Bucharest was aware of the political complications in the EU, which kept it out of Schengen for many years, but added that Romania deserved to be admitted to passport-free area.
“I can see that we have goodwill and a desire for cooperation,” he said, adding that he did not envy Romania’s new government which is forced to take unpopular economic measures to reduce a budget deficit of 9.3%
“They will need all their knowledge so that the citizens of Romania can go pass through this difficult period with as few losses as possible. I keep my fingers crossed for them to succeed,” he added.
